The present invention relates to a type of joystick which provides on-off signals to a computer to control various game features.
Switch joysticks conventionally have four separate switches to switch when a joystick lever is deflected in one of two directions along each axis of a two dimensional coordinate system. When a switch is actuated it pulls a given line in the computer from a normally high 5 volt value down to ground, thus providing an input value to the computer. For some video games a large deflection is acceptable, particularly for games requiring only a beginner's skill level. However, for other games, such as a high speed car ride down a highway requiring interaction with other cars, only a small deflection is desirable so that a rapid response can be obtained. In addition, a more rapid return to a neutral position is helpful in such situations in order to speed up the response. Unfortunately, no known switch joysticks provide such features.
Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved switch joystick. It is a further object of the invention to provide a switch joystick in which the lever deflection necessary to actuate corresponding switches is adjustable. It is yet another object of the invention to provide a switch joystick in which the biasing force on the lever which tends to return it to a neutral position is increased as the deflection necessary to actuate the switches is reduced.